2nd generation transmission shudder

You did 2 things at the same time (fluid drain and added shutter fix) so which fixed the problem? I would say the fluid change, for sure. Unless you changed the trans fluid ~ every 60K miles you were long overdue. Worn fluid is the major cause of trans shuddering, and replacing the fluid solves it. But in some cases owners with high miles and who never changed the fluid say the fluid change didn't help or only a moderate difference. Keep in mind that a drain and refill replaces ~3.5 qts in a trans that holds ~10 qts. So in some cases a "flush" is necessary.

 

yes , but which trans fluid ? oh my!!

 

I take that back, I had to do it back in 2021 when my brother pulled the wrong plug while helping me change the oil. Didn’t think it was too big of a deal until I couldn’t find a dipstick on the truck.
It’s still well overdue. Ok, I’ll start getting everything together to make it happen.

 

Happy to report that I replaced both VVT's Saturday and all my shuddering issues at 40mph are gone. I went with new OEM.

 

I tried replacing both VVT's and it did not help mine . Glad to hear it helped you. I ended up putting some shudder fix in with my tranny service and the shudder stopped completely. I had zero confidence it would fix the shudder but it did . The shudder was there after my last tranny service so the shudder fix was the fix for me. Did it back in Oct 2023 and it hasn't shudder since.

 

Did you ever find your issue? I am currently experiencing this.

 

It ended up being a leaking transmission line between the transmission cooler or radiator (I believe) and the transmission itself. I believe in general it was leaking fluid, overheating, and causing the shudder. Once that got replaced and the fluid was topped off appropriately the problem resolved.

I was overseas when it was ultimately diagnosed and repaired by a reputable local transmission shop but he did identify the issue almost immediately, had it repaired the next day, and there has been no further issues since then. And that was in like January.

 

Did you have visible leaking on the ground? Or the leak was found while inspecting?

 

Hey, man, sorry for the delay I’ve been away.

There was no visible leak on the ground that I ever saw. My dad was daily-ing it at that point and he never noticed it either. Just happened to be a good catch by the mechanic who had it.

 

So I have a 2013 Toyota Tacoma with the 4.0 V6. I have been dealing with shudder issues for several years(since 120k miles, now at 312k), I replaced the torque converter and I replaced the transmission and still had the shudder. So I continued looking for a solution to the issue and found the VVT solenoids could possibly be the issue. I replaced them both today and the shudder is gone.

 

I've replaced the VVT solenoids and still have the shudder. When I keep the trans in 4th gear however, no shudder. Hoping someone can tell me what's different about keeping the trans in 4? Does TCC lock up differently? Does VVT get switched off? ...

History:
After my original 1GRFE (which never shuddered) blew a head gasket and overheated in my 2006 4.0L SR5, I rebuilt another used V6 and swapped it in. The "new" motor now experiences the shudder, so I replaced solenoids with the original ones (which never had shudder). I still have the shake. The transmission and TC are original, fluids are fresh and topped up, and never had issues.

 

What did the shudder feel like for you?

 

Where did you buy the vvti at? Does toyota sell it?

 

Hi y'all. My v6 2.5gen shudders pretty bad when I step on the pedal too hard. I'm not sure if it's normal - it is my first car/truck. I only notice it when having to give it some speed, like getting onto a freeway on a short on-ramp, or stepping on it to pass someone on an incline. Not tuned, it takes a few seconds, then shifts into first or second, shuddering and screaming, and shifting shorter than I think appropriate. So dumb, lol. It's had a lot of issues since I bought it 15k miles ago, and is generally rough to drive and needs a few fixes. Think this is normal for Tacos or an engine issue?

 

Maybe check the automatic transmission fluid condition (color) and fill level if you haven't already, as a first step in troubleshooting.

Level checking:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/transmission-fluid-level.814684/

Drain and refill:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/how-to-drain-refill-automatic-transmission.63851/